KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

Drive your business forward with valuable resources and tools from Merial. Discover a wealth of information about VAXXITEK® HVT + IBD, our supporting services, and other issues and insights for the poultry industry.

These are two of the most common and significant immunosuppressive viral diseases in poultry, causing illness, death, and poor growth and performance. IBD and Marek's disease cannot be treated, but vaccination can aid in the prevention of disease caused by these viruses.

In more than 65 scientific papers published to date (see all) VAXXITEK HVT + IBD induced clinical protection against numerous different pathotypes of the IBD virus found worldwide, including classic, variant, and very virulent strains.*

IBD is endemic in every region in the world and is highly contagious, with new strains emerging frequently, so outbreaks can occur at any time. There is no treatment, so prevention is critical. In addition, a sub-clinical form of the disease may be present, causing significant immunosupression and leading to poor performance and economic loss even in the absence of outward disease signs.16-17 Several published studies have demonstrated that in helping to prevent IBD and Marek's disease, VAXXITEK HVT + IBD also fights this hidden threat of immunnosuppression and helps you lay a strong immune foundation for flock health.5-8, 13-15, 31

Several studies have demonstrated VAXXITEK HVT + IBD to have a good safety profile, providing strong protection against IBD while preserving the integrity of the bursa of Fabricius, causing no gross bursal lesions and negligible microscopic lesions.10-12 This is in part due to the vaccine's use of vector technology, which eliminates the need to use a whole, pathogenic IBD virus.

Vector technology allows VAXXITEK HVT + IBD to immunize against two diseases—Marek's disease and IBD—in a single vaccine, using a mode of action that eliminates the need to calculate IBD vaccination dates, for a simple, straightforward vaccination protocol.

All poultry hatchery operations can use VAXXITEK HVT + IBD—it can be used in healthy broiler, layer, and breeder chickens.* It is currently registered and commercially available in more than 75 countries across the globe (as a vaccine product under the VAXXITEK HVT + IBD trade name), with additional market approvals pending. If you're not sure whether VAXXITEK HVT + IBD is offered in your country,please

By aiding in the prevention of IBD and Marek’s disease, VAXXITEK® HVT + IBD has been shown in numerous published studies to help poultry businesses’ productivity, since flocks with a lower disease burden demonstrate a stronger immune health status and often perform better across several key parameters such as weight gain,5-7 feed conversion ratios,5, 7 uniformity,5 and more.

Hatchery vaccination eliminates the labor and uncertainties associated with field vaccination. It's a worthwhile investment, and Merial is here to help you with it. Our industry-leading Vaccination Technologies & Services (VTS) group will assist you through the entire transition, providing audits and site preparedness plans, equipment, training, and more.

VAXXITEK HVT + IBD helps reduce labor on the farm by moving IBD vaccination to a single dose at the hatchery, potentially enabling more control and accuracy over the vaccination process. It has been shown to be a high-value, cost-effective addition to many poultry businesses.

VAXXITEK HVT + IBD uses only the viral protein-2 (VP2) of the IBD virus to stimulate immunity rather than using a whole IBD virus. Vaccinating with VAXXITEK HVT + IBD does not introduce a whole IBD virus into the flock, and thus does not contribute to viral shed in the field.3 To protect against Marek's disease, VAXXITEK HVT + IBD uses the turkey herpesvirus (HVT), a virus long-established to stimulate immunity against Marek's but that is itself non-pathogenic to chickens. Moreover, a published study on long-term use of VAXXITEK HVT + IBD in the field has shown an overall downward trend in IBD virus challenge.24

VAXXITEK HVT + IBD stimulates immunity against IBD by using only the viral protein-2 (VP2) of the IBD virus (rather than a whole IBD virus), and against Marek’s disease using the turkey herpesvirus (HVT). It has been demonstrated in published research that both IBD VP2 and HVT experience minimal interference from maternal antibodies in chickens.12 This means that VAXXITEK HVT + IBD can be administered early (in-ovo at 18-19 days of embryonation, or subcutaneously to healthy day-old chicks) to begin building immunity that will gradually take over as maternal antibodies decline.12

Concurrent use of some vaccines could result in adverse interactions, which can reduce vaccine efficacy. In general, developing a poultry health program with multiple vaccines is a complex task requiring specialized expertise, so we encourage you to speak with our Veterinary Services group. They can help you and your veterinary team develop a hatchery vaccination program tailored to your business and your particular disease concerns, based around using VAXXITEK HVT + IBD to establish a strong immune foundation for flock health.

Current techniques allow monitoring of VAXXITEK HVT + IBD intake in chickens, to demonstrate IBD immunogenicity.18 Diagnostic tools are also available to differentiate between infected chickens and those vaccinated with VAXXITEK HVT + IBD more effectively than was previously possible.19 Our Veterinary Services group has the expertise to assist you and your business with these issues.

8. Devaud I, Herin JB, Trotel A, Pagot E, Voisin F. A field study in commercial layers to evaluate the effects of an HVT-IBD vector vaccine on production performances in comparison with a live IBD vaccine. Abstract. XVIIIth Congress of the World Veterinary Poultry Association, Nantes, France, 2013; in-press.

15. Rautenschlein S, Lemiere S, Prandini F. Evaluation of the effects of an HVT-IBD vector vaccine on the immune system of layer pullets in comparison with two commercial live IBD vaccines. Abstract. XVIIIth Congress of the World Veterinary Poultry Association, Nantes, France, 2013; in-press.

30. Lemiere S, Rojo R, He S, Tang S, Li W, Herrmann A, Prandini F. Benefits of the Herpesvirus of Turkey vector vaccine of Infectious Bursal Disease in control of immune-depression in broilers and decrease of use of antibiotic medication. Abstract. XVIIIth Congress of the World Veterinary Poultry Association, Nantes, France, 2013; in-press.

31. Rautenschlein S, Lemiere S, Simon B, Prandini F. A comparison of the effects on the humoral and cell-mediated immunity between an HVT-IBD vector vaccine and an IBDV immune complex vaccine after in ovo vaccination of commercial broilers. Article. XVIIth Congress of the World Vet.